Love You, Mum! | Mother's Day 2016 Gift Guide

Mother's Day is just two sleeps away! Have you found the perfect gift yet? Still on the hunt? I've got your back! Browse the gift guide to find beauty related gift suggestions for every mum.

Is your mum completely beauty obsessed? Or does she just wants something that is both easy and lovely to use? There are so many lovely makeup products out there that it can be hard narrowing things down, but I have a short list to make it a bit easier.

Let's start with a base! L'Oreal's Nude Magique Cushion (RRP $33.99NZD) foundation is pretty new on the market but it's won me over pretty quickly, with its portable format and beautiful dewy finish. If you've never heard of cushion foundations before, they're a sponge drenched with foundation housed in a compact with an included applicator sponge. Historically dewy foundations have often meant that you're trading luminosity for coverage, but Nude Magique pulls both off beautifully! I'll be doing a full review for this, so stay tuned.

Not pictured: Estee Lauder Perfectionist (RRP $80NZD) is one of my favourite foundations for older skin as it's flattering to skin texture, delivers generous coverage and weartime and is infused with Perfectionist Serum. Another one I'm enjoying from the new wave of skincare infused foundations is Bobbi Brown Skin Nourishing Glow Foundation (RRP $110NZD) which is unbelieveably luminous while still giving medium-buildable coverage.

I fell in love with Lancome Blush Subtil in Brun Roche (RRP $79NZD) as soon as the brush touched my cheek; the Blush Subtil formula is soft, silky, pigmented and it blends seamlessly for the perfect flush. Brun Roche is one of those flatter-all shades, a soft tawny rose, you really can't go wrong with it!

Benefit also have multi-tasking mums covered with their line of BeneTints, which are liquid lip and cheek stains that last all day. I do so love matching cheeks and lips so I'm all over this! I have the Cha Cha Tint (RRP $57ND) which is a lovely bright mango-coral that can be applied sheerly for a natural look or built up for stronger colour. If you like the look of this one, I did spot Smith & Caugheys have an online exclusive Cha Cha Charmers set containing a full size tint and two mini tinted balms for the same price as the full size Cha Cha Tint on its own. Score!

Eyebrows becoming more sparse over time as we get older is a complaint I often hear, which is why Benefit Gimme Brow (RRP $45NZD) is pretty darn great. It's a tinted brow gel with fibres to fill in any gaps in your brows, while defining them and keeping them in place. I have unruly eyebrows which laugh in the face of many brow gels, so a strong hold which still looks natural makes me very happy indeed!

A great mid-range option for brows is the Collection Eye Brow Kit (RRP $29.95NZD) which contains three shades of powder to match a range of brow colours, alongside a clear brow mascara. The powders offer soft and natural definition so you don't need to worry about looking too OTT, and the mascara keeps brows groomed and in place. My mum is a big fan of the powder & brow gel option!

On a side note, Benefit are running a really cool promotion at the moment where you bring your mum (or convince your child to bring you) to a Benefit counter, treat her to a brow service and she'll come away with a goody bag of Benefit products! I am wishing there was a Benefit counter in Wellington to drag my sons into right now - at the moment they have counters at Smith & Caughey's Newmarket & Queen Street in Auckland and Ballantyne's in Christchurch.

Recently my mum and I were looking at some eyeshadow palettes and she asked me 'how do you tell which colour goes where?!' YSL have taken out the mystery with their 5-Colour Ready-To-Wear Couture Palettes (RRP $120NZD), which come with a pamphlet defining the purpose of each colour in the palette and diagrams suggesting colour placement. It's an excellent starting point if you're not confident with eyeshadow application or just want to shake up your makeup routine. The pictured palette is Saharienne, a set of neutral-warm tones that work beautifully for sheer washes of colour or built up for a more defined look.

Extra for experts: one of my favourite bloggers, Makeup Box, has an excellent post with more examples of eyeshadow placement using duos, trios and quintets.

It wouldn't be a beauty gift guide without me talking about lip products, would it? Bold mattes or creamy, moisturising lipsticks are a great way to go, especially in tried and tested formulas that don't feather or migrate - particularly important if your mum has fine lines forming around her lips which some lipsticks like to creep into. I've always struggled with these and feathering is not something I can tolerate at all!

Bobbi Brown Nourishing Lip Color (RRP $54NZD)is a super creamy new oil infused formula which actually launches the day after Mother's Day, presenting a unique gift idea! Why not book your mum a Cheek & Lips Makeup Lesson at your nearest Bobbi Brown counter, which Bobbi Brown are offering free to celebrate the launch of Nourishing Lip Color. After the lesson, when she's been able to try out the new lipstick and pick up some tips and tricks, treat her to a selection of her favourite Bobbi products! The shade I have is Pink Slipper, an easy to wear pink tinged coral which glides on like a dream. Look out for swatches coming up soon!

I tried Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Ultra Lipsticks (RRP $52NZD) for the first time recently and immediately kicked myself for not giving them a closer look before. They glide on so nicely and feel wonderfully hydrating. Furthering the appeal is the luxe gold packaging, capped with the iconic Red Door logo. Your mum will definitely feel spoilt opening one of these babies even before she tries out the colour! There are so many colours and finishes in the Ceramide Ultra range and they've just released six new shades, including the pictured colours, Violetini and Blushing Pink, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding the perfect shade.

Rounding off the lipsticks are the Maybelline Color Blurs (RRP $14.99NZD) which I have talked about before and will continue to go on singing the praises of! They're richly pigmented, apply easily and have a velvety matte finish to help them last for hours. The pictured colours are (left to right) I Like To Mauve It (a gorgeous nude option for those who don't like brown based nudes), Orange Ya Glad and Plum, Please (both perfect for the mum who can't get enough of a bold lip!).

Nail polish is a wonderful thing; - no matter the price tag on the bottle, a manicure always feels like a luxurious pamper session. Grab a bottle of Mum's favourite colour and bundle it with everything she needs for a home manicure!

Essie's nail polishes are a lovely treat and their colour range is filled with a healthy mix of 'safe' and on-trend shades: here I have In The Lobby from the new Leggy Legend collection and Chinchilly, Midnight Cami and Licorice from the permanent range (RRP $22.99NZD each). If brighter shades are more your thing I highly recommend Play Date, Bikini So Teeny, Splash of Grenadine and Cute As A Button (which was actually my first Essie polish!).

On the other end of the budget, but no less awesome, are Australis' Nail Colours which I've been a fan of for years. They are incredibly pigmented and err on the thicker side, which I quite like in a nail polish - makes them easier for me to control! Australis also recently lowered their price which is incredible when they were already some of the most affordable nail polishes in NZ - they're just $8.50NZD now! I've got Holy Kale and In The Buff, two fab new neutrals that have recently launched.

Oh skincare, where to begin? First of all, know your audience when opting for skincare as a gift. My mother-in-law wants as many promises about youth and rejuvenation on the bottle as possible, my mother just wants to know the basic function of the product with no mention of age or wrinkles, thank you very much, what are you trying to say?

So! We're divided into two camps here and there's no right or wrong; it just comes down to preference! Luckily for you, I play the field and have favourites from each.

Oasis Beauty and Trilogy are brands I love because their focus is on healthy skin with natural ingredients and they're very straight up about what each product is designed to do: it's right there on the bottle, with no jargon. Fruit Smoothie (RRP $39.90NZD) is a super effective face scrub and mask in one while Berry Tonic (RRP $34.90NZD) is lovely as a toner or a skin refresher throughout the day. If you'd like to try Oasis Beauty, you can receive three mini sized products from them for free by filling out their survey here.

Obviously it's clear I'm having a bit of a moment with toning sprays by including Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner (RRP $29.90NZD) in the mix too but I'm not even sorry. Like Berry Tonic, it's a great pick me up for your skin; I always have it at my office desk, especially in the warmer months! Last year I took it to Great Barrier Island on a family holiday, where it gets stinkingly hot, and my mother-in-law and best friend were very quickly converted to this lovely refresher.

Also worth mentioning is Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream (RRP $64NZD) which is a lush wee pot of hydrating goodness. Potent is right, it feels like it's working wonders as soon as you pat on the moussey texture; I like that it isn't greasy or shiny at all and it works to brighten undereye circles.

Garnier Micellar Water continues its reign as the bargain, do it all cleansing champ (RRP $13.99 for 400ml or $6.99 for 125ml travel size) and there's a new variation for combination/oily skin (which is meeeeeeeeee!) out now called Pure Active. Huzzah! Cleansing couldn't get any more simple than this, although the term micellar water sounds complicated - Labmuffin explains it all in this great post. All you have to do is soak a cotton pad in micellar water and swipe it across your face to remove your makeup and cleanse in one step, with no rinsing required. Perfect for the mum who doesn't want a complicated nighttime skincare regime!

On the other side we have the heavy hitters, for the mum who wants to know her skincare is doing everything it can to minimize the signs of aging.

Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Eye Treatment (RRP $95NZD) is an eye cream I've been using for close to a year now and I really do see a difference in the texture around my eyes due to this little wonder. Before the skin was dry and had a pronounced pebbled texture, which has been hugely reduced. Highly recommend!

Also from Clinique is the new Scultpwear Lift and Contour Serum for Face and Neck (RRP NZD $114 for 30ml or $160 for 50ml) which I'm really excited about! The neck is one of the first areas to show age because it's so often neglected in our skincare routine - forunately there's a rising trend in targeted skincare to combat this! Sculptwear Lift and Contour promises to be a hydrating serum that absorbs quickly and provides skin with an immediate tightening sensation. I haven't been using it long enough to properly discuss results but so far it's doing what it says it does - I'm a fan!

Longtime users of facial oils must be cackling at the rest of us catching up but I'm thrilled that we are because more and more great quality oils are popping up in every price range all the time. L'Oreal Age Perfect Extraordinary Oil is just one of those and is matched with the Age Perfect Extraordinary Oil Cream (RRP $39.99NZD each). The cream is great if you find oils too messy or dislike their texture, although it must be said that the Extraordinary Oil is a pleasure to use, it sinks into the skin quickly and neither of them leave any kind of residue.

Nighttime cleansing is so important to prepare your skin for the other steps in your skincare regime, so Estee Lauder have brought out their Advanced Night Cleansing Foam (RRP $70NZD) which works to effectively remove makeup and cleanse your skin. All the while, it's giving you a calming aromatic experience with a lavender and chamomile fragrance, putting you in the right mindset for sleep. It feels lovely on the skin, cleansing without leaving my skin feeling tight or stripped, just fresh and ready for the next step.

Garnier's Miracle Wakeup Cream (RRP $19,99NZD) is another wallet friendly option, promising to provide skin with 24 hours of hydration. Wowza! So far, I'm liking the super smooth texture it gives thanks to a healthy dose of glycerin, which is a common ingredient in face primers - I think this will double as a primer nicely. I'll be sure to report back when I've been able to experiment more!

Haircare! This is something your mum may not treat herself to all that often. I know for me it's something I often forget about until I'm running really low, or am a bit scroogeish to buy the salon brands for myself. Which is why it's so nice to receive them for Mother's Day!

The L'Oreal Vitamino Color range (RRP from $28.50NZD) has everything you need to pamper and protect coloured hair including shampoo, conditioner, a protecting spray, a jelly-masque and even a CC cream for hair.

My hair loves the power of oils so I'm all over the Kerastase Elixir Ultime range (RRP $49-50NZD) most of which are suitable for all hair types, but there's a Beautifying Oil Mist especially for fine to normal hair types too - perfect if your mum has easily weighed down hair! They smell amazing too, like argan oil and coconut.

On the subject of fine hair, Matrix Biolage Anti-Static Spray (RRP $32.50) especially designed for those with fine hair as a leave in treatment which helps to control frizz and static while nourishing and detangling. Quadruple win!

Blowdrying is my latest hairstyling obsession, I absolutely love the body and volume I can achieve with a good blowdry! Remington's Shine Revival dryer set (RRP $159.99NZD) has just about all of the tools of the trade in one set, complete with argan oil shampoo and conditioner, sectioning clips, a round barrel brush and even a bag to keep them in. All you need to add is a heat protectant, like L'Oreal Supersleek Smoothing Blow Dry Mist (RRP $18.99NZD), which I love and have been using for ages. Or consider Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Treatment Primer (RRP $36.00NZD) which I'm particularly excited about playing with more, because there's not a lot more frustrating post blowdry than having it all bent out of shape overnight!

If you want to set that blow dry further, the Redken Triple Take 32 hairspray (RRP $36NZD) is incredible for its strong hold without the crunch. Ohhhh, how I dread the crunch! I can't believe how soft and touchable my hair still is even while anchored with Triple Take 32. It smells like orange blossom, jasmine and sandalwood too.

You can never go wrong with something lovely for the bath or shower! Here are some options that are sure to make your mum smile.

LUSH's Mother's Day collection this year immediately won me over by bringing back Yummy Mummy Shower Cream (RRP $23.50 for 200g or $34,90 for 500g) and it's better than ever! I adore the scent, which is a mixture of Brazilian orange and geranium oil tempered with cocoa butter and have been hoarding my little bottle from last year. This purple wonder is filled with silver shimmer which last year settled at the bottom of the bottle quite a bit but seems to be much better suspended this year. I might need a back up!

If your mum loves roses you definitely need to check out The Body Shop's new British Rose range! Although I love roses, I don't usually enjoy rose scents; they're too powdery or heavy and often more overwhelming than the delicate fragrance of a real rose. The Body Shop however, have perfectly captured that delicacy and bottled it for you to enjoy in Shower Gel (RRP $16.50NZD), hand cream, bath foam, the new Instant Glow Body Essence (RRP $45NZD) and of course their cult body butter. It really is like smelling a real rose!

Not to be forgotten in all the rose love is LUSH's Rose Bombshell (RRP $8.50NZD), again from the Mother's Day collection,, which is a redesign of last year's white version. Now it's all pink for possibly the prettiest bath ever and it's scented with Sicilian lemon, geranium, Turkish rose oil and rose absolute with a hidden core of rose petals waiting to be strewn around your tub as the bath bomb dissolves. If pink isn't your mum's thing, try Ladybug (RRP $9.90NZD), an adorable bubble bar which tints your bathwater vermillion red and smells of geranium and peppermint. You're never too old for a bubble bath! I had to pick up Sunrise soap (RRP $8.40 per 100g) from this collection too, as I just adore citrus scents, like the tangerine and mango in Sunrise.

Of course you shouldn't restrain yourself to limited editions, there's plenty of exciting stuff in the permanent range too! I bought The Comforter Shower Cream (RRP $13.50NZD for 100g, $23.50 for 250g, $34.90 for 500g) last week and am baffled as to how this sparkly pink confection escaped my notice for so long. It contains sweet cassis absolute, bergamot and cypress which smell like blackcurrant all mixed together. Heaven!

Lastly I can't forget a good scrub, and Bossy's Face & Body Coffee Scrub (RRP $18.50NZD for a pot, $18.00 for a refill bag) is currently holding the top dog position in my shower. A plain coffee scrub on its own has a strong scent which I enjoy in its own way, but Bossy's scrub has cocoa, peppermint, marigold and other lovely fragrances in it which compliment and lessen the coffee scent. Plus, they feel AMAZING - the oils linger on my skin for a while after the scrub has been washed until they sink in so that I come out of the shower barely needing any body creams. Love!

My luxury candle addiction is going strong, to the detriment of my wallet, so they topped my Mother's Day list this year and I'm sure your mum would love one too!

Ecoya brought out some new limited edition candles a wee while ago in the scents Double Vanilla & Cedarwood and Cherry Blossom and Tuberose (RRP $49.99NZD each) and they are both DIVINE. While I pick up the cherry blossom notes in Cherry Blossom & Tuberose, it also reminds me strongly of Persian Silk trees, and the one I used to climb at my primary school, scaling my way to the top and poking my head through the canopy of pink blossoms. It was magical, and each time I burn this candle I am transported back to that memory. Isn't scent amazing? Ecoya have also been running a promotion where you receive a free mini of their limited edition White Lily and Rosewood candle with the purchase of two Ecoya products. It's a soft, understated floral in a beveled frosted pink glass jar and is available full size too. For permanent Ecoya scents, I highly recommend Vanilla Bean and French Pear!

Finally, I honestly can't mention candles without bringing my all time favourite into it: Glasshouse Fragrances Tahaa (RRP $57.99NZD). If your mum has a sweet tooth she'll love the heady vanilla caramel scent. I burned this while I was getting ready for my wedding, so it will always be special to me for that reason alone!